On February 9, Madhivanan, now a father of three children, aged 13, 11 and 5, will return to Trincomalee. "We are leaving this month because we want to enroll our children in a school there," he said.

The repatriation of Madhivanan and 39 other Sri Lankan Tamil refugees from camps in Cheyyar, Puzhal, Gummudipoondi, Uchapatti, Mandapam, Thirumoorthy Nagar and other camps across the state is being supported by Germany , along with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

On Tuesday, German Consul General Achim Fabig met representatives of 10 families who are returning to Sri Lanka next week, and handed them flight tickets and documents to facilitate opening of bank accounts back home. "The decision to go back," he told them, "is even more difficult than the decision to leave. I salute your courage."

Fabig told TOI that there was a large community of Sri Lankans living in Germany and that the German government was "keen on knowing and participating in the positive changes in Sri Lanka."

The UNHCR's two-year reintegration programme includes travel and local transport allowance, a reintegration grant and assistance for applying for important documents. "Last year, the UNHCR helped repatriate 452 refugees. This year, the number may be slightly higher," said UNHCR spokesperson, Shuchita Mehta.

(TOI)